A very large bug is hidden on this white snakeroot stem in Schenley Park.

These facts from Wikipedia describe my guess at the species:

• It’s a predatory bug that eats mostly insects but has been known to eat hummingbirds as well.
• It will eat its own species if one gets too close.
• It’s native to China, Japan, Korea, Micronesia and Thailand.
• It was accidentally introduced to the U.S. in 1896 by a nurseryman in Mt. Airy, PA near Philadelphia.  It’s now found throughout the Northeast.
  
• This species is a popular pet for insect enthusiasts.
• It normally looks like this.

I’ve never seen this particular insect perched in this position so I wondered if it was dead. I didn’t want to touch it to find out.

(photo by Kate St. John)

Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) praying mantis